


At the River

by Attorney C (arh581958)



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Alternate Professions, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Confident!Mike, First Kiss, First Meetings, M/M, Marvey Fic Challenges, POV Harvey, POV Harvey Specter, Successful!Mike, Texas Hold'em Poker, associate!Harvey, flustered!Harvey, pre-season, sassy!Mike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 09:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8280265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arh581958/pseuds/Attorney%20C
Summary: Harvey was having a bad day. A game of poker seemed like the best solution. At least, he wasn't drinking home alone. It felt like he was being less of an alcoholic this way. That's what he thought when he entered the local casino to try and score. Tonight's game was a round of Texas Hold'em with a full table, and the stakes might not be what he expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

> MarveyFicChallenge #59 - "All In". 
> 
> Before I start, there are some generalizations about Asian nationalities in this story that may or may not be accurate. This is purely based on my own experience, and I do not intend to generalize. So, if you're the same nationality, I apologize in advance! It's not meant to be offensive. I'm drawing from the players that I have met in poker in real life. 
> 
> I haven't been too active. Sorry for that. I'm busy with RL stuff. Huhu. I tried to make their dynamic fun, playful, and sexy. I hope you like it~ Basically, it's Harvey _before_ the series started. 
> 
> Because I crammed and wrote this a day before the deadline;  
>  **Not Beta Read. Open for Volunteers.**

Harvey was having a bad day. “Two-fingers. Whiskey. Dry.” No, scratch that—he was having _the worst_ day. Today, he learned that someone was embezzling from the firm, and not only that but the culprit was also one of the biggest names in their firm—the second name in fact; Hardman. Daniel _fucking_ Hardman was stealing from them, not to pay for his dying wife's cancer treatments but to finance his torrid affair with a paralegal. So, yes, he needed something to take his mind off.

A game of poker seemed like the best solution. At least, he wasn't drinking home alone. It felt like he was being less of an alcoholic this way.

“Whisky, sir.” A tall brunette brought his drink to the table.

Harvey grabbed the tumbler and downed it in one gulp. “Thanks.” He said, sliding a green ship inside the glass—a $25. “Keep the change.”

Tonight's game was a round of Texas Hold'em with a full table. He started assessing the players as soon as he sat down. The blinds were mid-level, 50-100, and the players were a mix of varying capacities—two high-rollers who were passing time while waiting for the big table to gather steam, two Koreans who had wallets as big as egos, a poker-junkie who looked like he never left the floor, an old retiree wasting time and money instead of being home alone, and another white collar guy like him—an easy table.

“Long day?” The white collar guy asked, mid-bet after calling.

Harvey shrugged. “Could say that. Not ideal, really.” He normally initiated the conversation, grabbing the power, but the guy beat him to it. One of the Koreans, the one at the end of the table, raised. “He's bluffing,” he snorted out loud, without really meaning to.

Another round of betting went on—the two high-rollers called, the junkie folded, and the white collar guy folded as well. “You gonna call that bluff, hotshot?”

It took a few seconds for Harvey to register that the guy was talking to him.

“Nah,” he answered, folding. “I’ll let those guys weed out the riffraff then let the games really begin.”

“You two, _riffraffs_ , betta learn to keep ya traps shut. This is a casino not a strip bar. Keep yer yammerin' to yerself,” the old retiree snorted with a scowl, calling on the raise. “Ain’t no fucking respect”

A card and two grand later, one of the high-rollers won the pot due to a 5 appearing in the river, making his cards a three-of-a-kind. The Koreans and the retiree were hung out to dry.

“Good call on the bluff,” said the white collar guy, slightly bumping his shoulder to Harvey. “The old fart should have listened.”

Harvey couldn’t help but agree. “Too much money. No patience. You think he's learn with age.”

The long-haired blonde dealer dealt another round, to which Harvey was first to bet. Harvey called the big blind. On the flop was a king, a four, and a six—too scattered for a straight but someone might have another king.

 “Hmm. I like you.” The white collar guy hummed, while the rest of the tabled placed their bets. “You’re analytical.” He too called without raising.

Harvey chose to brush him off. “Raise 500.” Not enough to scare people off but enough to raise the pot. He threw his chips into the pile in front of him, face passive. High-roller one was the current chip leader, and Harvey needed more chips to compete. He targeted the junkie with a challenging look.

“Eff, you, man. You don't have anything,” the junkie spat, looking at his cards again, fingers wet on the felt. He glanced back to the table. He was going to raise with a bluff, and Harvey knew it. “Double-up!” He tossed a grand into the center.

“Now that's a bluff!” The white collar guy laughed, redoubling the chips again.

“I am not!” The junkie protested, flipping the other guy off.

White collar guy, definitely the most interesting person now, cocks an eyebrow at Harvey, as if to day “How ‘bout me, hotshot? What's my game?” The most intriguing thing about him was that Harvey _can't_ get a good read.

Stunned, Harvey folded on instinct.

“Fuck!” He curses under his breath when a two of spades appeared on the turn. That win slipped right through his fingers. At that, he can't help but kick his feet under the table. A chuckle bubbled from beside him. “What?!”

“You just lost a pair of twos. Sucks to be you.”

Harvey nearly popped a vein. Annoyed, he whipped around to face the guy. It was the first good long look at the other guy, and _damn_ the guy was gorgeous—dark blond hair, baby-faced, button nose, and bright blue eyes twinkling in amusement. Whatever comeback he has dies an instantaneous death in his throat.

The round ended with junkie losing his chips while the pot won by the gorgeous blond man beside him. White collar guy waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Harvey a peak at his dead cards—there was nothing there, no play what so ever 

“Shhh,” he whispered conspiratorially, “I'm trying to get out the weeds.”

Harvey barked out in laughter. For the first time since coming here, the heavy burden he carried felt lifted. It felt like it's been a really long tine since had a laugh like that. Trying to reach the top of the pyramid was a challenge. The other guy laughed too and an urge to find the guy's name overcame him.

“Harvey,” he said, reaching out a hand. “Specter. I work in one of the firms in mid-town.”

The white collar guy eyed him mischievously. “Now why would guy like you suddenly give up your name? I pegged you for someone who liked a challenge. What's the fun if you just tell me, huh?”

“Aren't you gonna tell me yours?”

“Nah, dude, what's the fun in that?”

They play two more rounds. The high-rollers soon more to the big tables. One of them, the previous chip leader, glanced at the blond as he expected the guy to follow.

“You ain't moving? 5-10’s open.” By that, he meant grand.

“Nope,” he popped his lips at the ‘p’. “Table’s still hot. I might stay here a little while longer.”

That small exchange caught Harvey's attention? “Just— _who are you_?” He peered over to the blue-eyed man, incredulous. “You know the high-rollers like they're your friends yet that's a 3-for-100 suit from the department store, read _people_ better than you read cards yet haven't used that to sweep the competition, and you don't look a day over twenty.”

The guy stretched his arm, grinning. “Aww, Harvey, where's the fun in that?”

“I’ll play you for it.” Harvey challenged, spinning his chips with his hand. He was the current chip leader based from the last round. His opponent had significantly less. The man didn’t seem fazed. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, then pushed all the chips to the center. “I'm all in. I'll play you five grand for you name.”

“Five Gs? That's all I'm worth. I'm disappointed in you, _Harvey_.” The guy shook his head with a snort. He leaned over to the brunette, hot breath whispering in his ear. “Offer me something else. Make it worth my while and I'll tell you my name.”

Harvey wreaked his brain but all he was ever good at aside from lawyering was baseball. “I'll take you to the batting cages. Teach you how to play.” It hung there for a solid minute. Fuck. He just made a complete dick of himself. “No, that's not what I—I”

“Okay”

“Wait. What?” His jaw nearly hit the table. “You—you like that?”

The guy smiled in amusement. “To be honest, hot guy like you, I expected you to bribe me with sex.” He laughed, carefree and light, not caring for their audience. “I was prepared to punch you in the face if you tried… batting cages, believe it or not, I've never done before. Sounds fun.”

Harvey couldn't believe his ears. With a meeting of the minds and verbal contract, the next round commenced with all their chips in the center. Their cards were given face up.

AK against his pair of threes.

On the flop, a five, a king, and an ace appeared.

Harvey paled.

On the turn, a four cane out.

Dear god, Harvey prayed for a two.

“Praying for a two, Harvey?” The guy asked, distraction him from the river. Harvey stared at the guy's eyes, nose, then lips—which curved into a smile. “I am too.”

“Player 4 wins, straight A to 5,” their announced.

Harvey, too caught up in the win, didn't even let the guy get a word out. He crushes their lips together with a hand on the back of the guy's neck, tasting cinnamon and red bull. The guy moaned into it, hand falling off the table to grasp at Harvey’s bicep.

Never in his life had he felt a rush like this—not even the day of the bar exams. He felt _invigorated_ by the heat if the guy's lips moving against his own. It was electricity down to the soles of his shoes.

“That was—I—uh,” he panted when they parted, saliva bridge still connecting them.

The guy placed a finger over his lips. “Mike,” he told Harvey, “It’s Mike Ross.”

Harvey's eyes shot wide open. Mike Ross— _the Michael James Ross,_ owner and founder of the most recent chain of successful casinos in Atlanta, Nevada, and Texas—was sitting across him, red-faces with swollen pink lips.

“No, fucking way.” What’s worse was that he wanted to see how far that flush went.

Mike's entire face lit up with a smile. “What? You wanna see some ID?”

Harvey shook his head and burst out laughing. Suddenly, all of it made perfect sense—Mike was scoping out the competition, checking out the local scene and doubt designing a concept that would be a hit to new yorkers. It's a brilliant plan.

“You’re a genius!” A hand came to wipe his teary eye. “Or insane.”

Mike clambered off his chair and climbed onto Harvey's lap, arms around the older man's shoulder. He ground down forcefully, rubbing their clothed erections together. Harvey jerked his hips at the contact. Mike wasn't near finished.

“Can’t I be both?” He licked up the shell of Harvey's ear. “I’m here ‘til next week. You still better take me to the cages, Harvey, or I’m going to be very disappointed.” Then, without prompting, bounced right off as if nothing happened.

Harvey, despite himself, grabbed onto Mike's sleeve and hauled the blond in for another kiss.

“It’s a date,” he promised before letting go. Mike looked as moony eyed as Harvey felt when he left.

Okay, so today might not be so bad after all. Harvey came here for a drink and to play a little poker. The flop wasn’t ideal. What he didn't expect was Mike Ross to come jumping into his night at the turn. Well, fuck. Hardman be damned. This just might the _best_ day ever. It felt like pulling a miracle at the river.

**Author's Note:**

> PS. I kinda like them being in two different professions. Hihi. I think it might just be my new thing. :D 
> 
> If you have a prompt or an idea, you can [INSPIRE ME](http://arh581958.tumblr.com/submit) on tumblr. Or [TALK TO ME](http://arh581958.tumblr.com/ask)~
> 
> As always, **kudos/comments/bookmarks** are all appreciated by this author. I take comments as extra-kudos and I _do_ read the bookmark tags (some are really fun).


End file.
